Packaging or crating structure



Nov. 11, 1941. H. c. wAY' PACKAGING 0R CRATING STRUCTURE Filed June 1, 1940 Patented Nov. 11, 1941 PACKAGING OR CRATING STRUCTURE Harry 0. Way, Wheeling, W. Va., assignor of onefourth to Paul Fisher and one-fourth to Earl Mi1horn,'both of Wheeling, W. Va.

Application June 1, 1940, Serial No. 338,420

7 Claims.

This invention relates to packaging or crating structures, capable of general use but particularly intended for packaging or crating sheet materials, such as tin plate, and has particular reference to improvements in packaging or orating structures of the general type described and claimed in my prior Patent No. 2,197,598, dated April 16, 1940.

Generally speaking, the object of the present invention is to provide a packaging or crating structure of the general type referred to which is highly efficient in holding packaged or crated articles securely against shifting relative to each other and which is of considerably simplified design and of materially lesser cost as compared with the packagingor crating structure described and claimed in my aforesaid prior patent.

With the foregoing general object and various other objects in view, as will become more fully apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the'novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and defined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in related views:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a package or crate formed in accordance with one practical embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a detail perspective view of one of the corner elements of the present structure, showing same prior to bending of the end portions thereof into right angular relationship to each other.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the corner element of Fig. 3 showing the end portions thereof bent into right angular relationship; and

Figures 4 and 5 are views similar to Fig.2 il lustrating alternative embodiments of the invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, It) designates a stiff base or platform element which may be formed from wood or any other suitable material and which is of a length and width corresponding substantially to the length and width of the package to be formed.

In forming a package according to the inven-- tion, the first step is to stack on one of the base or platform elements 10, to any desired height, the articles, such as a number of tin platesheets H, to comprise the package. Sheets- 12 of cardboard or other suitable-material for the protection of the side and end edges of the sheets ll and of the upper face of the uppermost sheet I I, then preferably, but not necessarily are placed against the sides, the ends and the top of the partly formed package. Angle-iron members [3 which may be formed from scrap, imperfect or damaged tin plates, then are placed along the upper longitudinal and transverse corners of the partly formed package in embracing relationship to the related marginal portions of the protective sheets'IZ. Other angle-iron members l4 similar to the angle-iron members 13 then are placed vertically along the four vertical corners of the partly formed package in embracing relationship to the corners of the. platform element In, the protective sheets l2 and the end portions of the angle-iron members it. Next, duplicate angle-iron corner elements it, each including right angularly related end portions, are placed, respectively, at the eight corners of the partly formed package where three faces thereof meet,

each in embracing relationship to its related three faces of the partly formed package and, finally, by means of steel bands at, or, equivalently, tie wires or the like, the corner elements 15 are drawn toward one another and fastened whereby the plates H are bound securely in superimposed relationship and upon the base or platform element 10 against any possibility of shifting relative to said base or platform element or relative to each other.

Obviously, a stiff top element of wood or other suitable material may be employed in lieu of or in addition to a top sheet it of cardboard or the like to cover and protect the upper face of the uppermost sheet [Land in that case the angle-iron members l3 may, of course, be dispensed with if desired. Obviously, too, angleiron members similar to the angle-.ironmembers I3 may be used at the lower longitudinal and transverse corners of the package, and in that case the base or platform element it may, of course, be dispensed with, if desired. In this connection and regardless of the use of a base or platform element H], or of a stiff top element, or

= v of angle-iron members 13, or of protective sheets l2, the present invention resides essentially in the use of corner elements such as the corner elements 15 in association with vertical corner elements such as the elements [4. Moreover, the present invention resides more particularly in the provision and use of corner elements l5 of special construction whereby they may readily and easily be produced at low cost and serve their purpose in a highly efficient manner.

- As illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing,

bending the piece is transversely slit midway or" approximately midway between its ends, as indicated at I8, so that the horizontal flange I! is divided into two sections, designated as I'I Also prior or subsequent to the said bending, one of the sections II or I'I has a'hole I9 punched or otherwise suitably formed therein and N and the other of said sections has struck upwardly therefrom in any suitable or desired manner alug which preferably is of U-s'hape in cross section. The section having the hole I9 therein then is flexed slightly upwardly, or the section having the lug 20 is flexed slightly downwardly or said sections are slightly flexed upwardly and downwardly, respectively, to permit the inner end 3 portion of the section having the hole I9 therein 1 to be swung into overlying relationship to the inner end portion of the section having the lug 20. The respective end portions of the corner element then are swung into right angular re- 0 flationship to each other, with their horizontal 1 flange sections I'I' ,I'I disposed inwardly, by 3 bending the vertical flange I6 along a vertical 1 or transverse line in alinement with the slit I8, which, of course, brings the inner end portion 1 of the section having the hole I9 therein into overlying relationship to the inner end portion 1 of the section having the lug 20.

The hole I9 is of a size and shape to neatly tioned corner element.

accommodate the lug 20, and said hole and lug i have locations in their respective sections of 5 the horizontal flange I! such that, when the 1 respective end portions of the corner element are i swung into right angular relationship to each j other, said hole and lug aline with each other. Upon alinement of the said hole and lug the ,lug either snaps into the hole due to the inherent resilience of the flexed section or sections of the flange I1 or is caused to enter said hole 3 by positive manipulation of one or the other or 5 both of the sections of said flange I1, and thereby I the respective end portions of the corner element iare positively interlocked in right angular relaj tionship to each other. The lug 20 is of a depth such that it projects through the hole I9 and constitutes an eye through which a steel band a or, equivalently, a tie wire or the like may be passed. Accordingly, ;when a steel band a or a tie wire or the like is passed through said eye the flange sections I 1*, 1 I'I are held against vertical separation and the ;-respective end portions of the corner element are maintained in interlocked right angular relationtship to each other. Moreover, the lug 20 extends ldiagonally relative to the respective end portions iof the corner element so that a steel band, tie wire or the like may be passed, without bending, Idiagonally across the corner element and through said lug. Only two steel bands, wires or the like are required to tie the present package. Beginning :with any given corner element I5, one steel band }or, equivalently, a tiewire, is passed diagonally jacross the horizontal flange sections I1 I1 and through the lug 20 of said'corner element, then for example, diagonally across one end face of the package to the diagonally opposite corner element I5, then diagonally across the horizontal flange sections Il II and through the lug 20 of the latter corner element, then diagonally across the adjacent side face of the package to the corner element at the diagonally opposite corner of said side face, then diagonally across the horizontal flange sections Il I I and through the lug 2|] of the latter corner element, then diagonally across the other end face of the package to the corner element I5 at the diagonally opposite corner of said other end face, then diagonally across the horizontal flange sections I1, I!' and through the lug 20 of the last mentioned corner element, and then diagonally across the other side face of the package toward the first men- The two ends of the band or wire then are drawn together by any suitable means and are fastened together in any suitable manner, as indicated at 2|, in accordance with well known practice in the bale or package tying art. The other steel band or tie wire is employed in the same manner as said first mentioned band or tie wire but, of course, in conjunction with the four remaining corner elements I5. As a result the package is securely and effectively trussed and the tin plate sheets or other articles comprising the package are held securely bound together against any possibility of shifting relative to each other.

To prevent creeping of the steel band, tie wire or the like a through the lugs or eyes 20, said lugs or eyes may be crimped upon said band or wire as indicated at 22 in Fig. 1 of the drawing, which will additionally insure against the package becoming loose because of handling thereof.

Instead of one of the sections Il Il having a lug 20 pressed therefrom and the other of said sections simply having a pole punched or otherwise formed therein to receive said lug, each section may have a lug pressed therefrom, one of slightly longer size than the other to receive and embrace the other. This is illustrated in Fig, 4 of the drawing, wherein the corner element, designated as I5 is of the same construction as the corner element I 5 illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, except that each of the sections I1 II of the horizontal flange of said element has pressed therefrom a lug 20*, one of which is, as aforesaid, slightly larger than the other so as to receive and embrace the other, thus to provide'a stronger eye structure to accommodate the binding element a than is afforded according to the Figs. 2 and 3 construction. The lugs 2Il may, of course, be crimped in the same manner as the lug 2|] to hold the binding element a against creeping.

Instead of the corner elements I5 being formed separately from each other and from the angleiron members I3, any given angle-iron member, such as the angle iron member I3 illustratedin Fig. 5 may have a corner element I5 formed at each end thereof. In other WOIdS, any given angle-iron member obviously may be combined with a pair of the corner elements in a one-piece structure, regardless of whether the corner elements are of the form llustrated in Figs, 2

and 3 or of the form illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawing. In fact, four of the corner elements obviously may be combined with four of the angle-iron elements in a one-piece structure in the manner indicated in Fig. 5.

Without further description it is thought thatthe features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and it will of course be understood that changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An element to embrace a corner of a package for use in tying the package, said element including end sections disposed at right angles to each other, each end section including a vertical flange and a horizontal flange, the inner end portion of the'horizontal flange of one of said sections being superimposed upon the inner end portion of the horizontal flange of the other of said sections and having an opening therein, and a lug on the inner end portion of the horizontal flange of said other section extending through said opening and formed to provide, outwardly of the horizontal flange of said first mentioned section, an eye formation to accommodate a tying element for the package.

2. An element to embrace a corner of a package for use in tying the package, said element being formed from a single piece of sheet material slit and bent to provide a pair of end sections disposed at right angles to each other and each including a vertical flange and a horizontal flange, the inner end portion of the horizontal flange of one of said sections being superimposed upon the inner end portion of the horizontal flange of the other of said sections and having an opening therein, and a lug element pressed from the inner end portion of the horizontal flange of said other section and extending through and closely fitting said opening and formed to provide, outwardly of the horizontal flange of said first mentioned section, an eye formation to accommodate a tying element for the package.

3. An element to embrace a corner of a package for use in tying the package, said element being formed from a single piece of sheet material slit and bent to provide a pair of end sections disposed at right angles to each other and each including a vertical flange and a horizontal flange, the inner end portion of the horizontal flange of one of said sections being superimposed upon the inner end portion of the horizontal flange of the other of said sections and having an opening therein, and a lug element of open-ended, U-

shaped cross section pressed outwardly from the inner end portion of the horizontal flange of said other section and extending through and closely fitting said opening and projecting beyond the outer face of the horizontal flange of said first mentioned section to accommodate a tying element for the package.

4. A pair of package corner embracing elements as set forth in claim 2 combined in a onepiece structure in which the horizontal and vertical flanges of corresponding end sections of the respective corner embracing elements are joined together.

5. An element to embrace a corner of a package for use in tying the package, said element including end sections disposed at right angles to each other, each end section including a vertical flange and a horizontal flange, the inner end portion of the horizontal flange of one of said sections being superimposed upon the inner end portion of the horizontal flange of the other of said sections, a lug of U-shap in cross section pressed outwardly from the horizontal flange of each section and disposed, one in embracing relationship to the other, to provide, outwardly of the horizontal flange of the first mentioned section, a strong eye formation to accommodate a tying element for the package.

6. A rectangular article package comprising the articles, a corner element at each of the eight corners of the package where three faces thereof meet, each corner element including end sections disposed at right angles to each other and each end section including a vertical flange and a horizontal flange, the inner end portion of the horizontal flange of one section being superimposed upon the inner end portion of the horizontal flange of the other of said sections and having an opening therein, a lug on the inner end portion of the horizontal flange of the said other section extending through said opening and formed to provide, outwardly of the horizontal flange of said first mentioned section, an eye formation, and package tying elements extending through the said eye formations of said corner elements and about the package.

7. An article package as set forth in claim 6 in which the lugs are crimped upon the tying element to hold the latter against creeping through said eye formations.

HARRY C. WAY. 

